Ecological Survey Report – Grimsby Golf Club, Littlecoates Road, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire May 2019 Ecology and Environmental Management North East Lincolnshire Council Doughty Road Depot, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN32 0LL Tel: 01472 324267 E-mail: [email protected] Report Prepared by Rachel Graham BSc (Hons) Contents 1 Introduction 2 Site description 2.1 Proposed work 3 Methods 3.1 Data search 3.2 Survey Constraints 4 Results 4.1 Data search 4.2 Habitats and plant species 5 Discussion and Recommendations 5.1 Birds 5.2 Recommendations Appendix 1 Site map Appendix 2 Data Search Report, Lincolnshire Environmental record Centre 1 Introduction An ecological site survey was carried out at the request of interested parties with the aim of identifying the golf course as an ecologically valuable asset to the natural environment and local area. The report details the methods used, describes the habitats and species found on the site, discusses the results and makes recommendations for further work. 2 Site Description The site, located at NGR: TA 240 086 (approximate centre) west of Grimsby town centre on Little Coates Road, approx. 45 hectares (450,000 m2), is surrounded by residential areas to the north, east, south and west, with the River Freshney, Freshney Bog, and Little Coates Waste Ground Local Wildlife site running along the western boundary into Freshney Country Park and Freshney Parkway Local Wildlife Site to the north. The northern boundary is edged by Great Coates Road and tree lines, and the eastern boundary is edged by Little Coates Road, tree lines, and is adjacent to Capes Recreation ground. The site comprises managed amenity golf course grassland that’s mown frequently, patches of long vegetation, individual trees, tree lines, and small copses, two drain-fed lake, several wet drains and one dry drain. A site location layout is given in Appendix 1 as Figure 1. Photograph 1: Typical vegetation, south centre of site facing Photograph 2: area left as longer vegetation with natural south west. regeneration, south west central facing south east. Photograph 3: Drainage ditch feeding smaller lake, central facing south Photograph 4: Large lake, western corner, facing south east east. 2.1 Proposed work The proposed work is to enhance the ecological features already present and to publicise the ecological value and conservation work undertaken by the Club. 3 Methods The site was surveyed on 22nd May 2019 by Rachel Graham. A walk over survey was carried out and notable features recorded and mapped. Representative photographs were taken. The botanical survey species list is attached as Appendix 3. 3.1 Data search A data search was carried out using the Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre database and the report is attached as Appendix 2. 3.2 Survey Constraints There were no constraints to the survey. Full access was available. It should be noted that the absence of protected or rare species within the survey does not rule out them being present on site. There is always a risk of protected or rare species being over-looked, either owing to the timing of the survey or the scarcity of the species at the site. 4 Results 4.1 Data search No records relating to protected species were obtained for the immediate locality of the site. Statutory Sites No statutory wildlife site was found within 1km of site. Non statutory sites Five non statutory sites were found within 1km of the site: Freshney Parkway, Freshney Parkway North, Laceby Beck North, all of which are Local Wildlife Sites(LWS), and Freshney Parkway and Little Coates Road Waste Ground are designated as Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). 4.2 Habitats and plant species The habitat types and plant species recorded on the site are common and widespread in North East Lincolnshire. There are no habitats or plants of local importance or significance. None of the plant species on site appear on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Protected species records are treated as sensitive and as such are left out of reports but can be made available if necessary to the relevant and appropriate people. A species list of records within 1km are listed in the LERC Summary Report in Appendix 2. 5 Discussions and Recommendations The conservation efforts and work already applied to the site is highly commendable and impressive, as are the species present, and, for such a managed habitat such as an 18 hole golf course, the ecological value is high. The management is sensitive to natural processes and the natural environment and the benefits are there to be seen. Biodiversity Long vegetation areas The areas of long vegetation dotted throughout the course are vital for invertebrates to feed, breed, and shelter in and create corridors for them to move around. The non-statutory sites that surround the course will feed into these areas allowing the species present in the Local Wildlife Sites and SNCI’s to increase their range and aid conservation efforts. Dragonflies and damselflies that emerge from the lakes need long grass to hunt other insects in. Soldier beetles need long grass to breed, and the wildflowers provide food for our declining pollinators. The invertebrates are at the bottom of the food chain and provide food for birds and mammals and provide pollination. There were continuous sightings of Brimstone and orange tip butterflies within these areas. Photograph 5. Red eyed damselfly Photograph 6. Blue tailed damselfly Photograph 7. Common blue damselfly Photograph 8. Greater knapweed – Photograph 9. Bulbous buttercup – Photgraph 10. Cow parsley, top early flowering plant for chalk grassland species, top chalk grassland species identified by pollinators incl. flies, beetles, moths, hoverflies, early emerging pollinator plant the backward facing sepals bees Trees There is a good range of tree species and groupings. Individual trees are good for some bird species and bats which prefer clear sight lines and exit/entrances to nest holes or roosts, such as Pipistrelle bats and Woodpeckers. Small groups of trees are preferred by gregarious species such as tree sparrows, which are a species of conservation concern, and copses provide good habitat for woodland birds such as nuthatches, Tits, and providing resting places, homes, and protection for mammals. They also provide food and shelter for Butterfly and Moth larvae and beetle larvae only feed on this dead wood, 60% of our beetles are at risk of extinction because of modern management techniques of removing dead trees. Log piles provide refuges for amphibians and invertebrates, and hedgehogs which are struggling. It also build the below ground network of fungi mychorrizah which recycles the nutrients and carbon from leaf fall, dead wood, etc. making it available to plants at the very bottom of the food chain. Photograph 11. Holes in dead wood Photograph 12. Dead wood left in situ, Small Photograph 13. Bracket fungus where beetle larvae have emerged tortoiseshell basking. fruiting body growing on dead wood. Photograph 14. Woodpecker nesting hole in individual tree Photograph 15. Pathway through enclosed wooded area providing shelter, resting places, and habitat for woodland species. Water bodies The large lake and smaller lake, along with the drainage ditches, are excellent for biodiversity. There are fish in the lakes which can decrease invertebrate biodiversity but Alderflies were present, damselflies and dragonflies, water beetles, and fly larvae, which suggests that the aquatic larvae are surviving alongside the fish stock. There is long vegetation and bankside plants, such as Meadowsweet and Hard rush, and instream vegetation, including Common reed and Flag iris, which are essential for aquatic invertebrates to emerge as terrestrial adults. The vegetation also provide nesting sites and material for waterfowl. The bankside of the west drain is home to a species of Solitary Mining bee, Andrena sp. Solitary bees in Britain are highly diverse, therefore so are their nesting habits. The majority of British species nest in the ground, excavating their own nest. The female builds the nest by herself. She chooses a suitable piece of ground in which to nest and uses her body to dig out a nesting chamber in the ground. She adds pollen to the chamber, which is often moistened with nectar, and lays an egg. She then seals off that section of the nest before moving onto the next chamber. Although most solitary bees nest solitarily, in suitable nest sites you often find aggregations of nests Photographs 16. Solitary mining bee nests in western ditch bankside soil, Andrena sp. Photograph 17. Alderfly Photograph 18. Ditch with Fool’s watercress Photograph 19. Damp boggy area with invasive Bulrush Photograph 20. Common reed in large lake with Coot. Photograph 21. Large lake with lakeside and island vegetation 5.1 Recommendations Long vegetation The areas of long vegetation could be improved with a wildflower seed mix that is designed to be overseeded into existing grass and outcompete it. The seed should also be UK native and preferably locally sourced from within the County to maintain variation of species. Flora Local provides this information or I can recommend a supplier and seed mix that we use. To maintain and increase wildflower composition and reduce grass growth it needs to be cut and collected after they’ve gone to seed to prevent nutrients being added, encouraging grass growth and reducing wildflower growth, and increase light and space for smaller wildflowers to germinate and grow. A small area can be sown first to reduce cost and then cut and collected whilst seed heads are present and used as green hay to overseed other areas. This is done by laying the cuttings over an area for 5 days to release the seed and then the cuttings collected again to prevent nutrient adding.